Insight into the Critical Role of Surface Hydrophilicity for Dendrite-Free Zinc Metal Anodes

Abstract

Chronic problems of zinc (Zn) metal anodes, such as notorious zinc dendrite growth and continuous side and corrosion reactions, hamper the commercialization of aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs). Herein, we have demonstrated the significance of surface properties of Zn anodes for suppressing parasitic side reactions and zinc dendrite growth. On the basis of the findings, we have successfully stabilized Zn anodes by building a thin and hydrophilic artificial solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer via a simple dip-coating method. The artificial SEI layer effectively inhibits the parasitic side reactions and guarantees uniform Zn stripping/plating for dendrite-free Zn anodes. As a result, durable cycle stability (3000 cycles at 1 A g −1 ) is achieved. More importantly, the artificial SEI layer is easily adapted for enlarged Zn anodes (176 cm 2 ) and highly stable cell operation is observed. This strategy can provide a more practical path and significant advances for developing aqueous ZIBs for large-scale ESSs.

Novel Concept of Separator Design: Efficient Ions Transport Modulator Enabled by Dual‐Interface Engineering Toward Ultra‐Stable Zn Metal Anodes

“…[46,47] On the other hand, considering the hydrophilicity of separator also plays an important role in influencing the electrolyte penetration during energy storage process. [48] The contact angle test of separator before and after DIE modification was also conducted, as shown in Figure S23, Supporting Information. Our result indicates that the decoration of BTO on glass fiber and separator surface would not change the well hydrophilicity of GF separator, since the water drop also can be immediately absorbed by the DIE separator.…”

In Situ Constructing Coordination Compounds Interphase to Stabilize Zn Metal Anode for High‐Performance Aqueous Zn–SeS2 Batteries

“…In addition, we investigated the ability to suppressing hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) of the Zn‐ATMP@Zn electrodes in a 1 m Na 2 SO 4 aqueous electrolyte via linear sweep voltammetry (LSV). [ 30,31 ] Obviously, the Zn‐ATMP@Zn electrode shows lower hydrogen evolution current density in a wide voltage range from −1.60 to −2.1 V (vs Ag/AgCl) in compared to that of bare Zn electrode (Figure 3h). Meanwhile, the corresponding Tafel slope of 275 mV dec −1 for Zn‐ATMP@Zn electrode is much higher than that of bare Zn electrode (224 mV dec −1 ), suggesting obviously suppressing the HER capability by Zn‐ATMP film (Figure S14, Supporting Information).…”

Towards Understanding the Corrosion Behavior of Zinc‐Metal Anode in Aqueous Systems: From Fundamentals to Strategies

“…The strong adhesion on the zinc surface and hydrophilicity of this artificial PVB layer comes from its rich content of oxygen-containing functional groups. Similarly, Park et al [127] found that the (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APTES) can improve the interfacial wettability by forming a special covalent bond on the metal surface. Therefore, APTES can be coated on the surface of zinc foil to effectively protect zinc metal anodes from corrosive electrolytes.…”

“…), [44,[121][122][123][124][125] and organic coatings are mainly some polymers (e. g., PVB, 502 glue, Gel-MA, etc.). [45,46,[126][127][128][129][130] The construction of an insulating nano protective layer on the surface of zinc foil by in situ or non-in situ methods is beneficial to mitigate zinc corrosion. For example, Zhao et al [125] deposited the TiO 2 layer on the zinc anode surface (Figure 16a).…”

“…), [44,121–125] and organic coatings are mainly some polymers (e. g., PVB, 502 glue, Gel‐MA, etc.) [45,46,126–130] …”